What’s Faith Got to Do With It?: The Contribution of Faith to Healthy Relationship Formation

The landscape of college relationships has changed drastically over the past five decades. Still, college remains a time when young people desire to learn more about and form romantic relationships. Many students, upon entering university life, conform to the seemingly dominant libertine attitudes and behaviors regarding sexuality as a means for exploration and discovery. yet, while many seek intimacy in various forms, what they often find is confusion, loneliness, and estrangement. The students who have experienced the “hook-up culture”, as well as the many who haven’t, often wish for more direction and connection between their sexuality and spirituality. Many young people disregard religious sources in a desire to have independent “spirituality”. However, contrary to their expectations, religious teachings and customs can often serve a helpful role in the formation of healthy relationships, enriching one’s understanding of sexuality, love, and romance. During this session, speakers representing the Evangelical Christian, Catholic, Latter-day Saint, and Jewish traditions discuss the contribution that faith and faith communities can make in helping to direct young people in their romantic relationships.

Closing remarks by conference moderator, Christopher Tollefsen, Ph.D., University of South Carolina